Datalogic DS2100N

The Datalogic DS2100N is a compact fixed-mount laser barcode scanner. In a Revolution cell it reads labware barcodes — plate and tube identifiers — as labware moves past a fixed reading position.

At a glance

Reading distance	50 – 300 mm (1.97 – 11.81 in)
Maximum resolution	Up to 0.12 mm (5 mils)
Scan rate	500 – 1000 scans/s
Scan pattern	Linear / raster
Aperture angle	60°
Revolution control	Barcode reads are requested by the system; one test operation for commissioning

Specifications

Datalogic also lists Advanced Code Reconstruction (ACR), which they describe as giving good performance on low-quality and damaged labels — relevant for labware that has been through a washer, a sealer or cold storage.

The reader supports PROFINET, EtherNet/IP and Ethernet TCP/IP. Revolution does not use any of these: it drives the DS2100N over a serial connection. That the reader can also speak fieldbus protocols matters only if you intend to share it with other equipment.

How Revolution uses it

A barcode reader is not a scheduled instrument. It implements Revolution’s barcode-read contract, so the system asks it for a barcode when a workflow needs one — during a transfer, or when labware is identified on arrival. You do not call a read from a method.

One operation is exposed, for commissioning:

• Test bar code reader — trigger a read with a timeout and report what came back. Use this to confirm aim, distance and label quality before relying on the reader in a schedule.

Integration

Revolution talks to the DS2100N over a serial connection.

Prerequisites

• The reader must be cabled to the Revolution host and its port settings known before the device is initialised.
• Mount the reader so labware passes within the stated 50–300 mm reading distance. Outside that range it will not read, regardless of configuration.
• The reader’s own activate/deactivate command strings must match what the driver is configured to send — see below.

Device configuration

Property	Purpose
COM Port Settings	Serial port and line settings for the reader
Activate Message	Command string sent to start a read
Deactivate Message	Command string sent to stop a read
Response header length	Number of leading characters to strip from the reader’s response before the barcode itself

The response header length is the setting that most often explains a barcode that reads but comes back wrong: if the reader prefixes its reply and the driver is not told how long that prefix is, the prefix ends up inside the barcode value.

If you need more of this instrument driven from a schedule, get in touch — the driver is extended on demand.